Page 84 of A Forever Love

A brief silence hangs in the air before Merida turns to me. “Say it.”

21

MERIDA

Carter’s gaze drills holes into Brandon’s back as he watches my friend leave the garden.

“Say it,” I repeat, my voice determined. I doubt he heard me the first time, his attention entirely elsewhere.

“I don’t think you want to hear what’s on my mind this time, mittens.”

“But you told me you’d never keep things from me.”

In a blink, he turns around, cornering me.

“Carter.” My mouth dries at the intensity of his gaze. His moss-green eyes darken to black like a dense forest canopy. “Someone will see.”

“And you think I give a fuck after I found you alone with that jerk, when everyone at your party is convinced there’s something between you two?”

My heart pounds in my chest. “There’s absolutely nothing—”

“I know that.” He leans in, pressing me deeper into the shrubs. The slender stems prick my skin, but I’d endure any discomfort to witness this possessive side of Carter. His forehead grazes mine, and his eyes shut. “I hate him.”

“He’s just a friend.” My voice trembles.

“Are you sure? By the way he looks at you, he clearly wants more.”

“I’ve only ever wanted one man in my life.”

His eyes snap open, their intensity rocking me to the core. “You drive me insane, Mere. I’ve never experienced jealousy like this before. I’ve never envied someone for their money, their friends, or their…girl. But with you, I…I’m shamelessly selfish. I crave every smile, every laugh, every word of yours. I’m even jealous of the wind that grazes your skin and the morning sunlight that kisses your face. It’s maddening.”

His fingers are tender on my face, in stark contrast to his words, and a burst of electricity goes live in my chest, arrowing down south, and heat pools between my thighs. I can’t tear my gaze away from his untamed face. In that moment, I forget everything—our surroundings, the possibility that we’re out in the open for anyone to see us, and even the need to breathe.

Who needs oxygen, anyhow, when I have him giving me everything I’ve ever wanted?

It’s a kind of love that both destroys and resurrects, leaving you breathless.

As if reading my thoughts from my expression, Carter rasps, “Breathe, mittens.”

I can’t bring myself to do it. I just keep staring at him, my fingers clutching his suit jacket, etching this moment into my memory forever. But as my vision blurs and I start to lose my balance, Carter pulls me against his chest.

“Breathe, dammit.”

I gulp air, slowly regaining my composure, and finally confess, “I want every ounce of your jealousy.” My eyelids flutter shut, and the darkness within me breathes like a dragon, its fiery embrace suffocating yet exhilarating. “I love your jealousy. I crave it. For so long, no one loved me, and now, I want a love that could annihilate me.”

He yanks me back abruptly, his eyes wild with disbelief. “Don’t test me, Mere, because I have no idea what the limit of this feeling is or how far it might take us.”

Before I can assure him that I’d cross any limit as long as he’s by my side, we’re interrupted by distant voices and the rumble of rolling tires. Carter and I exchange one last glance before he retreats. Moments later, Uncle Connor emerges at the garden entrance, with Birdie trailing not far behind.

“Hey, what are you two doing out here when the party’s inside?” Birdie, clad in a sparkly silver dress and holding two champagne flutes, tilts her head toward my house.

“I was with Brandon.”

“I came to get her.”

I’m sure that if they didn’t suspect anything before, we’ve certainly given them fuel to now.

Uncle Connor raises an eyebrow. “So where is he?”

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